Pump-engine controller

Abstract

A system controller manages a gas turbine engine driving a pump directly or indirectly coupled to the engine. The controller is programmed to automatically determine and adjust inputs to the gas turbine engine in order to cause the pump to produce a user-specified hydraulic output.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A system for controlling a pump, comprising:
 a pump-engine controller configured to control the pump driven by a gas turbine engine, the pump-engine controller programmed to perform operations comprising: (1) using first data including measured hydraulic output of the pump to calculate a desired mechanical output of the gas turbine engine needed for the pump to provide a specified hydraulic output, and (2) transmitting a signal representing the desired mechanical output to an engine controller; 
 the engine controller programmed to use second data including measured data describing engine operating characteristics to manage the gas turbine engine to achieve the desired mechanical output received from the pump-engine controller; where the gas turbine engine is coupled to the pump via a transmission, and the pump-engine controller further includes transmission sensor inputs configured to receive signals describing configuration and operating conditions of the transmission comprising at least vibration and acoustic noise; and 
 one or more of the following proportional-integral-differential control loops:
 a first proportional-integral-differential control loop, wherein the pump-engine controller is programmed such that the operation of calculating the desired mechanical output of the gas turbine engine comprises applying the first data as inputs to the first proportional-integral-differential control loop, the first data comprising: measurements of hydraulic output of the pump, hydraulic limitations of pipe coupled to the pump; 
 a second proportional-integral-differential control loop, wherein the engine controller is programmed such that the operation of managing the gas turbine engine comprises applying the second data as inputs to the second proportional-integral-differential control loop, the second data comprising: shaft horsepower, temperature, speed, and torque. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , the pump-engine controller being programmed to receive additional data including data describing configuration and sensed conditions of plumbing equipment coupled to the pump in said calculation of said desired mechanical output of the gas turbine engine. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1 , further comprising the pump and the gas turbine engine. 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 3 , where the gas turbine engine is coupled to the pump via a transmission, and the pump-engine controller further includes transmission sensor inputs configured to receive signals describing configuration and operating conditions of the transmission. 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 2 , where the plumbing equipment includes one or more valves and said pump-engine controller is programmed to receive additional data including valve open, valve closed, valve degree of openness, pump flow, pump pressure, pump vibration, pump heat, pump noise, temperature of pumped material into or out of the pump, pump ready, and pump operating limitations. 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 1 , where the second data further comprise compressor rotational speed (N1), power turbine rotational speed (N2), exhaust gas temperature, and oil pressure. 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 1 , where:
 the pump-engine controller is programmed such that the operation of calculating the desired mechanical output of the gas turbine engine comprises calculating at least one of the following engine outputs: rotational speed, torque, shaft horsepower; and 
 the engine controller is programmed to determine and apply combustion inputs including air, fuel, and ignition specific to the engine being controlled to achieve the desired mechanical output received from the pump-engine controller. 
 
     
     
       8. The system controller of  claim 1 , the measured hydraulic output of the pump comprising pressure and flow rate of material being pumped. 
     
     
       9. The system of  claim 1 , where the engine controller is compatible with multiple variants of gas turbine engine, and the engine controller is programmed to receive a machine-readable identification of which variant of gas turbine engine is being managed by the engine controller and thereafter to manage operation of said gas turbine engine according to operational requirements specific to the identified variant of gas turbine engine. 
     
     
       10. The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 multiple engine sensors coupled to the gas turbine engine and configured to measure shaft horsepower, temperature, speed, and torque; 
 feedback lines coupling the engine sensors to engine sensor inputs of the engine controller; 
 control lines coupling the engine controller to gas turbine engine controls; 
 multiple hydraulic sensors coupled to the pump or plumbing downstream of the pump to measure pressure and flow generated by the pump; 
 feedback lines coupling the pump sensors to the pump-engine controller; and 
 control lines coupling the pump-engine controller to the engine controller and the pump. 
 
     
     
       11. The system of  claim 1 , where responsive to user input of nothing more than the specified hydraulic output, the pump-engine controller is programmed to automatically regulate hydraulic output of the pump to produce the specified hydraulic output. 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 1 , where the specified hydraulic output comprises pressure or flow rate of pumped material. 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 1 , where the hydraulic output of the pump comprises hydraulic conditions of pumped material comprising one of the following or a combination thereof: a fluid, a semi-fluid. 
     
     
       14. A system for controlling a pump, comprising:
 a pump-engine controller configured to control the pump driven by a gas turbine engine including calculating a desired mechanical output of the gas turbine engine needed for the pump to provide a specified hydraulic output and transmitting a signal representing the desired mechanical output to an engine controller; and 
 the engine controller programmed to manage the gas turbine engine to achieve the desired mechanical output received from the pump-engine controller; 
 where the gas turbine engine is coupled to the pump via a transmission, and the pump-engine controller further includes transmission sensor inputs configured to receive signals describing configuration and operating conditions of the transmission, comprising at least vibration and acoustic noise. 
 
     
     
       15. A system for controlling a pump, comprising:
 a pump-engine controller configured calculate a desired mechanical output of the gas turbine engine needed for the pump to provide a specified hydraulic output and transmit a signal representing the desired mechanical output to an engine controller; 
 the engine controller programmed to manage the gas turbine engine to achieve the desired mechanical output received from the pump-engine controller; 
 multiple engine sensors coupled to the gas turbine engine and configured to measure shaft horsepower, temperature, speed, and torque; 
 feedback lines coupling the engine sensors to engine sensor inputs of the engine controller; 
 control lines coupling the engine controller to gas turbine engine controls; 
 multiple hydraulic sensors coupled to the pump or plumbing downstream of the pump to measure pressure and flow generated by the pump; 
 feedback lines coupling the pump sensors to the pump-engine controller; 
 control lines coupling the pump-engine controller to the engine controller and the pump; and 
 the pump-engine controller including transmission sensor inputs, 
 transmission sensor inputs configured to receive transmission signals describing configuration and operating conditions of a transmission including at least vibration and acoustic noise.